1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a protective boot for the comfort and protection of a patient who, if not entirely bedfast, must spend so much time there as to be in danger of incurring decubitus ulcers or other forms of trauma. In particular, the invention relates to a boot capable of use both in bed and during a limited amount of ambulation and having a fluid-containing cushion with releasable attachment means to allow it to be positioned on or within the boot wherever needed to provide support for the patient's foot and leg. The cushion has an enclosed fluid-filled core to allow the cushion to conform comfortably to any part of the patient's foot or lower leg that may be pressed against it while the patient is lying down.
2. Description of Relevant Art:
My prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,214 describes a soft boot that is designed to protect a patient's foot from trauma, abrasions, decubitus ulcer formation, moisture accumulation, external pressures, heat loss, etc. during both bedridden and ambulatory conditions. The boot is generally open at the front, except for an integral closure portion, and has a rigid liner that extends along the sole to a point beyond the user's toes and is bent up at the front. The boot has a fluid cushion built into a fixed location in the lower rear part of the boot to engage the patient's heel cord and support the back portion of the patient's leg. Sides of the cushion also extend a short distance along the side of that portion to give added protection and comfort.
An ulcer-prevention device shown by Browning in U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,845 is made of cloth and is shaped generally like a sock, the toe and heel of which have been removed and which is openable along the front to receive a patient's foot. The front edges have Velcro fasteners to hold them together after the device has been placed on the patient's foot. A fluid-filled cushion is held by straps normally attached to the back of the device behind the user's ankle to support the heel out of contact with the bed. The fluid-filled cushion can, alternatively, be attached to any place on the device to elevate selected parts of the patient's foot so as to prevent those parts from pressing against the bed.
U.S. Pat. No. Re. 33,090 to Berguer describes a boot formed of a double layer of laminated material with a foam insert built into a fixed location between the layers at the lower back part of the boot and extending forward slightly along the sides of the boot to support the patient's heel cord. Each layer of the laminated material comprises a sheet of foam material and a flexible cover sheet. In the finished boot, the two foam layers face each other and are enclosed between their respective cover sheets, one of which thus constitutes the outermost part of the boot, while the other constitutes the innermost part. Seams at the toe and around the periphery of the sole are sewn facing outwardly, which makes it possible that they may come in contact with the patient's other foot.
Other devices to support patient' feet and ankles are described by Streeter in U.S. Pat. No. 2,911,657; Holy, Jr. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,511,233; Peter in U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,884; and Walker in U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,022.